See which West Michigan companies were the top U.S. patent producers over the past five years

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – For 137 years, Bissell Home Care Inc. has benefited from the patents it received for its carpet sweeper, an ingenious hand-powered dirt and dust collector that remains a mainstay of the company’s product line.

But they’re not resting on their laurels at Bissell’s Innovation Center, a $9 million facility that opened two years ago in renovated factory space at 2345 Walker Ave. NW.

Going beyond the hand-powered sweeper, Bissell now markets rug cleaning products that range from its high-tech “Lift-Off Deep Cleaner” that includes a built-in water heater to its new “Stomp ’N Go” cleaning pads that chemically lift stains without any high-tech gadgetry.

“It’s our goal as a global leader to continue to grow and with that comes a lot of innovation,” said Trish Tayloer, Bissell’s public relations and marketing events manager. “Obviously, patents come with innovation.”

Grand Rapids was in the top 17 percent of U.S. cities when it comes to patent activity, ranking 60th in among 358 U.S. cities surveyed, according to the Brookings Institution.
Inventors in Grand Rapids produced an average of 307 patents per year, according to the survey.

Steelcase Inc. registered 38 patents in 2011 followed by Alticor’s Access Business Group International LLC, a unit of Ada-based Alticor Inc. which registered 20 patents.

Seventeen patents by Gentex Corp. were listed in Grand Rapids while another 23 Gentex patents were listed in Holland for the Zeeland-based maker of automatically dimming mirrors for automobiles and windows for aircraft.

The Brookings Institution study assigned the patents to the hometown of the first named inventor on the patent.

Holland was ranked 70 in the survey for patents filed over the past five years with an average of 239 patents per year.

The survey listed 16 patents for Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool in Holland, 12 patents for Steelcase and 12 patents for Hortech Inc., a Spring Lake company that makes architectural wall planters.

Holland was ranked first in the number of claims filed per patent, an esoteric measurement which speaks to the complexity of the patents or the desire of the applicant’s desire to hang onto the rights.

Grand Rapids patent lawyer Catherine Collins said the number of claims associated with a patent can give a registrant a “backup” if the patent is challenged by competitors.

Collins, a partner with Warner Norcross and Judd, said patents are especially competitive in the automotive industry, where innovations are highly sought after and guarded.

Randy Thelen, president of the Lakeshore Advantage, a Holland-based economic development group, said the high level of patent activity in the past five years is contributing to the current resurgence in West Michigan’s manufacturing economy.

“I think at the core, we’ve remained a vibrant manufacturing center,” Thelen said. “If you’re a maker and a doer – and this area is – you tend to find patent opportunities.”

Tim Mroz, a spokesman for the Right Place Inc. of Grand Rapids, said he was struck by the variety of applicants who seeking patents in West Michigan.

“It says a lot about the diversity of West Michigan’s economy and what makes us stronger than other Midwestern economies,” Mroz said.

At Bissell, new patents are vital to the company’s future in the highly competitive market for floor care products, said Jim Krzeminski, president of Bissell’s Business Ventures Division.

“New products are lifeblood of any company,” he said. “We’re proud of our heritage, but you can’t rest on your laurels.”